Jenny Lee Arness was born into Hollywood royalty, the daughter of ‘Gunsmoke’ star James Arness and actress Virginia Champan.
You’d expect a life of glamour and opportunity with parents like James and Virginia, but behind the scenes, Jenny struggled with emotional pain, leading to a fatal drug overdose in 1975.
Jenny’s passing was a personal tragedy for her family, and it echoed the dark realities that many celebrity children quietly face.
While many parts of Jenny’s life story are still private, here’s everything we know about her and her family.
What Happened to Jenny Lee Arness?
Jenny Lee Arness, the daughter of James Arness and Virginia Arness, was born on the 23rd of May, 1950. She would’ve been 75 years old today, but unfortunately, she met her untimely death on the 12th of May, 1975—only days away from her 25th birthday.
The cause of Jenny Lee Arness was a deliberate drug overdose. Her parents had been divorced since 1963, and her father had her custody, so she allegedly lived with him at the time.
Unfortunately, Jenny’s mother didn’t live long after her death. She, too, died of a drug overdose in 1977, only two years after her daughter died. However, this time, it was an accidental drug overdose, possibly caused by the wild partying lifestyle she was adopting back then.
What Happened to James Arness After His Daughter Died?
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James Arness and Virginia Champan divorced in 1963, so by the time Jenny died, they’d been separated for more than a decade.
After the death of his daughter and ex-wife, Arness remarried in 1978. Before that, he’d been in a six-year relationship with Thordis Brandt, but the relationship didn’t end in marriage.
In 1978, he married Janet Surtees, and they stayed married until he died in 2011. Arness and Surtees didn’t have any children together, and out of Arness’ three kids, only his youngest son outlived him.
The Family of Jenny Lee Arness
Jenny Lee Arness grew up in the Arness household with her mother, father, and two brothers. Here’s a breakdown of her family:
Parents
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Jenny’s mother, Virginia, was a renowned actress born in 1921. After divorcing her husband, Virginia shifted into a partying lifestyle, which led to her untimely demise in 1977 due to an overdose.
Meanwhile, James was a renowned actor who fought in WWII. In 1943, the actor was drafted into the army, and during the Battle of Anzio, his right leg was injured.
Arness received his honorable discharge from the army in 1945, but his injuries would stay with him long after that. He suffered from chronic leg pain for most of his life.
Siblings
When Virginia and James got married, Virginia had a son called Craig from another relationship. At the time, Arness adopted him to be able to raise him with their own kids.
Image source: Facebook
Like Arness, Virginia was an actress as well, known for Sheriff of Cochise, Highway Patrol, and Perry Mason.
Craig was born in 1946, making him only four years older than Jenny. The couple also gave birth to another boy called Rolf in 1952, making him the youngest in the household.
The oldest adopted son, Craig, grew up to become a photographer for National Geographic. He was so good at photography that he founded the Westlight stock photography agency. However, he passed away in 2004 at the young age of 58.
Meanwhile, Rolf Arness grew up to become interested in surfing, and he achieved recognition as the World Surfing Champion in 1970. He was only 18 years old when he won the championship, making it even more impressive.
Unfortunately, Rolf’s life wasn’t lacking tragedies.
Aside from the tragic deaths of his sister and mother, his wife also died of cancer in 1978. At the time, he decided to withdraw from the public eye and went to stay at his father’s house at the Hollister Ranch. There, he continued to surf for a living and worked on developing new high-speed surfboards.
Rolf is the only one out of the Arness household to be currently alive, aged 73.
Image source: Instagram
Final Thoughts
Jenny’s death, followed by her mother’s and later her brother Craig’s, cast dark shadows over the lives of both James and Rolf Arness.
Rolf, now 73 years old, has lived a quieter life after spending his youth in competitive surfing and suffering the heartbreak of losing his wife to cancer. Meanwhile, Arness remarried in 1978 and stayed with his second wife until his death in 2011.
Jenny’s life was brief, but her legacy lives on, along with her father’s, mother’s, and brother’s legacies.
Featured image source: Google
